U.S. Nationals: Who is … J2 Devin Delaney

U.S. Ski Teamer Leanne Smith can’t stop raving about 17-year-old Devin Delaney. The other day, she motioned to me to come over to her at The Bag, the restaurant that some of the ski teamers were passing time at while weathering the storm at the U.S. Alpine National Championships in Sugarloaf. The ski team jokester — and apparent agent — said, “I know who you need to write about, Devin Delaney. She’s fast!”
U.S. SKI TEAMER Leanne Smith can’t stop raving about 17-year-old Devin Delaney. The other day, she motioned to me to come over to her at The Bag, the restaurant that some of the ski teamers were passing time at while weathering the storm at the U.S. Alpine National Championships in Sugarloaf. The ski team jokester — and apparent agent — said, “I know who you need to write about, Devin Delaney. She’s fast!”
    Devin and her mom were across the table hanging out with their longtime friends, the Smith family including Leanne’s dad, Joe Smith. All of Leanne’s teammates said, “She’s just like him,” as in funny as can be.
    “She’s a little over the top for me,” Delaney said about her childhood friend. “You got to love it though.”
    The two racers grew up in the same town, Conway, N.H., and arced turns at the same ski area, Cranmore, in the Mount Washington Valley. Delaney is a junior at the Green Mountain Valley School in Waitsfield, Vt.
    “Cranmore was such a small mountain that we would all train on the same courses together, had the same coaches and feedback,” Delaney said. “Joe Smith, her dad, would always be at the finish line on nice sunny days like this cooking hot dogs and burgers … we just kind of grew up doing that whole weekend program together.”
    Smith, 20, sees a lot in the young Delaney, who reminds her of her junior racing days — which basically ended last season when Smith got promoted to the C team and then became a regular on the World Cup, posting a top 20 in her first showing at Lake Louise.
   “It’s exciting to see [her] come up because it wasn’t too long ago that I was looking around and thinking, ‘Oh no, look at all these fast people,’” Smith said.
    Delaney was invited to U.S. Nationals after an impressive showing at the J2 Junior Olympics in Aspen, Colo., earlier this month. She placed first in the slalom and third in the giant slalom. “It was awesome, I was definitely super happy,” Delaney said.
    In Saturday’s U.S. Nationals’ slalom, Delaney finished 17th after a challenging first run.  
    “Yesterday there was someone in her course and she still made flip and ran first,” Smith explained.  “She had to slow up and it cost her, but she’s still fast. Look out for that girl.”
    Delaney got caught slowing down for the skier who ran before her, missed a gate and decided to hike in a blind spot on the course. Delaney was surprised coming over the rollover.
    “I’m kind of coming in backseat and all of a sudden we’re right next to each other and she skis out,” Delaney said. “I look at her and I’m already about to make a big mistake, so I’m kind of all over the place, throw them sideways and keep going.”
    Delaney, nonetheless, had a speedy second run — taking the 8th fastest slot — and finished 17th overall. In Sunday’s super G, the tech specialist finished 34th. She’s been happy to have Smith, though a speed specialist, as somewhat of a mentor.
    “It’s just nice to be close to someone like that,” Delaney said, “since we’ve gone through the same progression and see how she deals with the traveling and how going to college and then making it. Just to see what she has to say has been really helpful for me.”
    Smith told Delaney while at U.S. Nationals to keep an eye on up-and-comer slalom specialist Hailey Duke on the C team.
    “Leanne definitely said, ‘Watch Hailey in the slalom.’ She had a great year, killin’ it in the Europa Cup,” Delaney said.
    She got to meet her the other night at The Bag with the Smith family. “I love her,” a laughing Delaney said.
    As for her goals, making the U.S. Ski Team is up there, same with getting an education.
    “I definitely do,” she said about trying to get on the U.S. Ski Team. “I want to finish high school obviously. It’s really important to me, but if I could make the team it would definitely be a big achievement. I’d be thrilled.”